October 22
October 22 is the 296th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar; 70 days remain until the year's end. It falls in autumn (northern hemisphere) and under the astrological sign of Libra.
External references
Curated jump-off points to the major almanacs, encyclopaedias and primary sources for this date.
Astronomy
On October 22 the Sun's declination is approximately -12.4°. At this latitude the Sun is south of the celestial equator, giving the Northern Hemisphere shorter days than nights.
For specific rise/set times at your location, see the U.S. Naval Observatory, or the NASA APOD archive for any imagery published on a October 22.
Position in the year
Holidays & observances
- Christian feast day: Abercius of Hieropolis
- Christian feast day: Cordula of Cologne
- Christian feast day: Donatus of Fiesole
- Christian feast day: Mellonius
- Christian feast day: Nunilo and Alodia
Events
A selection of widely-documented historical events that took place on this date. Years marked BCE follow standard astronomical convention.
- 2019 — Same-sex marriage is legalised, and abortion is decriminalised in Northern Ireland as a result of the Northern Ireland Assembly not being restored. ↗(7 years ago)
more
Same-sex marriage has been legal in Northern Ireland since 13 January 2020, following the enactment of the Northern Ireland Act 2019. The first marriage ceremony took place on 11 February 2020. Civil partnerships have also been available for same-sex couples in Northern Ireland since their introduction by the Government of the United Kingdom in 2005.
- 2014 — Michael Zehaf-Bibeau attacks the Parliament of Canada, killing a soldier and injuring three other people. ↗(12 years ago)
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The 2014 shootings at Parliament Hill occurred on 22 October 2014, at Parliament Hill in Ottawa. Corporal Nathan Cirillo, a Canadian soldier, Afghanistan veteran, and reservist on ceremonial sentry duty, was fatally shot at the National War Memorial, followed by an attack on the nearby Centre Block parliament building, where members of the Parliament of C...
2013 — The Australian Capital Territory becomes the first Australian jurisdiction to legalize same-sex marriage with the Marriage Equality (Same Sex) Act 2013. ↗(13 years ago)more
The Australian Capital Territory (ACT), known as the Federal Capital Territory until 1938, is an internal territory of Australia. Canberra, the capital city of Australia, is situated within the territory, and is the territory's primate city.
2012 — Cyclist Lance Armstrong is formally stripped of his seven Tour de France titles after being charged for doping. ↗(14 years ago)more
Lance Edward Armstrong is an American former professional road racing cyclist. He achieved international fame for winning the Tour de France a record seven consecutive times from 1999 to 2005, but was stripped of his titles in 2012 after an investigation into doping allegations found that Armstrong used performance-enhancing drugs over his career.
2008 — India launches its first uncrewed lunar probe mission Chandrayaan-1. ↗(18 years ago)more
The physical exploration of the Moon began when Luna 2, a space probe launched by the Soviet Union, made a deliberate impact on the surface of the Moon on 14 September, 1959. Prior to that the only available means of lunar exploration had been observations from Earth.
- 2007 — A raid on Anuradhapura Air Force Base is carried out by 21 Tamil Tiger commandos, with all except one dying in this attack. Eight Sri Lanka Air Force planes are destroyed and ten damaged. ↗(19 years ago)
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The Raid on Anuradhapura Air Force Base, code-named Operation Ellaalan, was a commando raid conducted on SLAF Anuradhapura an Air Force Base in Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam. The attack happened on 22 October 2007.
2006 — A Panama Canal expansion proposal is approved by 77.8% of voters in a national referendum. ↗(20 years ago)more
The Panama Canal expansion project, also called the Third Set of Locks Project, doubled the capacity of the Panama Canal by adding a new traffic lane, enabling more ships to transit the waterway, and increasing the width and depth of the lanes and locks, allowing larger ships to pass.
2005 — Tropical Storm Alpha forms in the Atlantic Basin, making the 2005 Atlantic hurricane season the most active Atlantic hurricane season until surpassed by the 2020 season. ↗(21 years ago)more
Tropical Storm Alpha was the 23rd tropical storm of the extremely active 2005 Atlantic hurricane season. It developed from Tropical Depression Twenty-Five in the eastern Caribbean Sea on October 22, 2005.
2005 — Bellview Airlines Flight 210 crashes in Nigeria, killing all 117 people on board. ↗(21 years ago)more
Bellview Airlines Flight 210 was a scheduled Nigerian domestic passenger flight of a Boeing 737-200 airliner from Lagos to Abuja, operated by Lagos-based Bellview Airlines. On 22 October 2005, the aircraft nose-dived and crashed at high speed a few minutes after takeoff, killing all 117 people on board.
1999 — Maurice Papon, an official in the Vichy government during World War II, is jailed for crimes against humanity. ↗(27 years ago)more
Maurice Papon was a French civil servant, mass murderer and Nazi collaborator who was convicted of crimes against humanity committed during the occupation of France. Papon led the police in major prefectures from the 1930s to the 1960s, before he became a Gaullist politician.
- 1997 — Danish fugitive Steen Christensen kills two police officers, Chief Constable Eero Holsti and Senior Constable Antero Palo, in Ullanlinna, Helsinki, Finland during his prison escape. ↗(29 years ago)
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Steen Viktor Christensen is a Danish criminal, who was sentenced in Denmark in 1992 to twelve years in prison for numerous bank robberies, hostage taking, and rape. In autumn 1997, Christensen was allowed to go on an unguarded prison furlough, during which he escaped to Finland.
1992 — Space Shuttle Columbia launches on STS-52 to deploy the LAGEOS-2 satellite and microgravity experiments. ↗(34 years ago)more
Space Shuttle Columbia (OV-102) was a Space Shuttle orbiter manufactured by Rockwell International and operated by NASA. Named after the first American ship to circumnavigate the globe, and the female personification of the United States, Columbia was the first of five Space Shuttle orbiters to fly in space, debuting the Space Shuttle launch vehicle on it...
Notable births
2001 — Brian Branch, American football player ↗(25 years ago)more
Brian Amani Branch is an American professional football safety for the Detroit Lions of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Alabama Crimson Tide, where he was an All-American and a national champion. Branch was selected by the Lions in the second round of the 2023 NFL draft. In 2024, he earned his first Pro Bowl.
2001 — Jo Yu-ri, South Korean singer and actress ↗(25 years ago)more
Jo Yuri is a South Korean singer and actress. She is known as a former member of the South Korean–Japanese girl group Iz*One. She first gained prominence after participating in Mnet's reality competition series Produce 48 in 2018, where she finished in third place and debuted with Iz*One on October 29, 2018.
2000 — Baby Keem, American rapper and record producer ↗(26 years ago)more
Hykeem Jamaal Carter Jr., known professionally as Baby Keem, is an American rapper and record producer. Raised in Las Vegas, he gained recognition in the late 2010s with his contributions to Black Panther: The Album (2018) by his cousin Kendrick Lamar and The Lion King: The Gift (2019) by Beyoncé.
1999 — Geraldo Perdomo, Dominican baseball player ↗(27 years ago)more
Geraldo Rafael Perdomo is a Dominican professional baseball shortstop for the Arizona Diamondbacks of Major League Baseball (MLB). He made his MLB debut in 2021. He was named to his first MLB All-Star Game in 2023 and helped the Diamondbacks win their first National League pennant since 2001.
1998 — Roddy Ricch, American rapper ↗(28 years ago)more
Rodrick Wayne Moore Jr., known professionally as Roddy Ricch, is an American rapper. Born and raised in Compton, California, Moore rose to fame in 2018 following the release of his song "Die Young" — which marked his first entry on the Billboard Hot 100 as a tribute to deceased rappers XXXTentacion, Lil Snupe, and Speaker Knockerz.
- 1997 — Jan Köstering, German politician ↗(29 years ago)
more
Jan Tobias Köstering is a German politician and member of the Bundestag. A member of The Left, he has represented North Rhine-Westphalia since March 2025.
Notable deaths
2024 — Richard A. Cash, American global health researcher (born 1941) ↗(2 years ago)more
Richard Alan Cash was an American global health researcher, public health physician, and internist. He was a pioneer of oral rehydration therapy for lethal diseases such as cholera. This simple, practical therapy is estimated to have saved over 50 million lives since.
2024 — Grizzly 399, American grizzly bear (born 1996) ↗(2 years ago)more
Grizzly 399 was a grizzly bear living in Grand Teton National Park and Bridger-Teton National Forest in Wyoming, United States. She was followed by as many as 40 wildlife photographers, and millions of tourists came to the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem to see her and other grizzly bears.
2024 — Gustavo Gutiérrez, Peruvian philosopher, theologian and priest (born 1928) ↗(2 years ago)more
Gustavo Gutiérrez-Merino Díaz was a Peruvian Catholic philosopher, theologian, and Dominican priest who was one of the founders of Latin American liberation theology. His 1971 book A Theology of Liberation is considered pivotal to the formation of liberation theology at large.
2024 — Lynda Obst, American film producer and author (born 1950) ↗(2 years ago)more
Lynda Rosen Obst was an American film producer and author. Her works include Sleepless in Seattle and Interstellar. Obst founded the production companies Hill/Obst Productions in 1986 and Lynda Obst Productions in 1989.
2024 — Fernando Valenzuela, Mexican baseball player, coach, and sportscaster (born 1960) ↗(2 years ago)more
Fernando Valenzuela Anguamea, nicknamed "El Toro", was a Mexican professional baseball pitcher. Valenzuela played 17 Major League Baseball (MLB) seasons, from 1980 to 1997. He played for six MLB teams, most prominently with the Los Angeles Dodgers, who signed him in 1979 and gave him his MLB debut in 1980.
Numerical & calendrical curiosities
| Day-of-year (296) | 2^3 × 37 · composite (no) |
|---|---|
| Days remaining (70) | 2 × 5 × 7 |
| Date code DDMMYYYY | 22102026 · no palindrome in next 200 years |
| Sun declination | -12.44° (Cooper approximation) |
| Distance from solstice | 59 days |